Project Ashes
by Beckeh
Summary: The story of my characters creation. PG for some language.......C+C are appreciated ^__^


(Note: This story takes place during the end of SA2, but I've brought back the Egg Carrier XD Also, if you read my story 'Possible Jealousy', you'll know that Sonic doesn't meet my character like this. Sorry, but I like to mess around with history a lot XD)  
  
Robotnik was confused.  
  
He felt pity for Shadow.  
  
It was the weirdest sensation he had ever felt in his life......pity? What was it exactly? He knew it was an emotion, but....it was the kind of emotion someone as cold-hearted as Robotnik wanted to get rid of. Someone.....Something...... inside him wanted to make him fall on his knees in grief, yet another wanted him to get his act together and carry on his with his life.  
  
"....I'll create someone in his place." Robotnik thought aloud. He knew no one could take Shadow's place, but it would have to do.  
  
"Master Robotnik!!!" E-110, Robotnik's chief robot, came speeding towards him at top-speed.  
  
"What....."  
  
"We found some ashes on that hill over there, so I analysed its origin, and, sir.....it's Shadow's ashes. It must've been from when he burned up from entering the Earth's atmosphere....."  
  
Robotnik was stunned. Surely at the speed that Shadow was falling all traces of him would be gone....E-110 showed him a small tube, with a small pile of grey ashes at the bottom.  
  
Robotnik suddenly had one of his minutely brain waves.....he could use these ashes to create a new Shadow, and these ashes may even ressurect the personality everyone, especially Robotnik, liked Shadow for.  
  
Back aboard the Egg Carrier, Robotnik was making plans for his new life form. In small tubes by his desk, he had some fur from some of his greatest rivals..in a blue tube was a quill from Sonic the Hedgehog's back, in a red tube was some fur from Knuckles the Echidna, in another was some Wolf's fur, and in another was a feather from the small phoenix he used to create some of his robots.  
  
"What if..." Robotnik thought to himself, "....I mix all these components..the speed of Sonic, the strength of Knuckles, the cunning attitude of a wolf, the wings of a phoenix, and the personality of Shadow?"  
  
So, after making some adjustments to the machines that would help Robotnik create his life form, he began his 'Greatest Experiment Ever'.  
  
Using one computer, he made a three dimensional model of what his experiment was going to look like. He decided on it having the quills of an hedgehog, the tail of an echidna, the barbs on the knuckles of an echidna, and the snout and ears of a wolf.  
  
"Perfect. This surpasses everything I've made so far..I'll make it really intelligent..and I'll...yes, just like that.." Robotnik was only then taking note of his voice. He sounded as excited as an 8-year-old who was off to the funfair.  
  
The computer took note of his modifications to the creature, as he now had dubbed it a 'Wolchidnog'.  
  
The tube that was next to the computer was filling up with steam. This machine alone was building up the creatures DNA, it skin, and generating organ mechanisms.  
  
The last thing Robotnik had to do was to add a personality to his creature. He poured some of the ashes of Shadow into a small tray on the computer, which it then scanned and sent the ashes down a tube that ran into the creatures body.  
  
Robotnik ran over everything - its stats, its gender, its age, everything. He skimmed his hand over the keyboard, until his finger came to the 'Enter' button.  
  
He pressed the 'Enter' key, and watched as the tube was drained of its bright green water. The tubes that ran through the creatures body were hoisted out of it, and the tubes wall shattered.  
  
"E-110! Get some clothes for this thing!"  
  
+++++++  
  
Robotnik had waited half an hour, now. Surely it didn't take this long to dress?  
  
"E-110! What is taking so long?!" Robotnik bellowed, his voice echoing through the corridor.  
  
"It-its just-erm.."  
  
"What? Spit it out!!!!"  
  
"....It's a girl..I thought you programmed it to be a male?"  
  
"WHAT!?!?!?!" Robotnik recalled the moment when he skimmed his keyboard. He must of pressed 'F' by accident..  
  
"SHIT!"  
  
"Watch your language." came a female voice. The creature stepped out from the room, wearing the clothes Robotnik had given her. She was a fair creature, with grey fur and a face that resembled Miles Prower, another of Robotniks long time enemies, yet quills that resembled that of Amy Rose, with a tail that resembled Knuckles'. She also had barbs on her knuckles, like an echidna's. Her clothes were red and black, the same as Robotniks, except they were more sleek, and a little tight around the waist.  
  
"Oh.Fuckiddy..Fucky fuck fuck..." Robotnik muttered under his breath, "Oh.what does it matter..she's still under my control, and she's just as strong as she would be if she was a boy. First things First - a name."  
  
"You wanna name me? Can't I name myself? I mean, I'm not your pet." She retorted, her hands on her hips.  
  
"Pssh....fine.....Use this computer. It has a baby name finder on it."  
  
E-110 snorted.  
  
"What? The maidens put it on there for a joke and I can't be bothered to delete it."  
  
"Whatever." the girl took the chair and ran a search, starting in the section 'B'.  
  
"What is taking her so long??? I need that computer..I wanna play Minesweeper..." Robotnik whined to himself, "GIRL! Have you decided on a name yet????"  
  
"Weeeeelllll..." She called from the other side of the room, "I've narrowed it down to two names - Dimension, or Becky."  
  
"What kind of name is Dimension?????"  
  
"I dunno. I just thought it sounded cool."  
  
"Fine...just...Erm, Becky then. Call yourself Becky. Rebecca."  
  
"Whee! My name's Becky, people!!!" Becky screamed in the microphone. It echoed throughout the ship.  
  
"Get offa that!" Robotnik said, snatching the microphone out of Becky's hand, "Everyone, ignore her! Get back to work!"  
  
Becky snatched the mike, "Everyone has a day off!"  
  
"NO! Get back to work!"  
  
"Day off!"  
  
"Work!"  
  
"Day off!"  
  
"Work!"  
  
"Day off!"  
  
"Work!"  
  
"Day off - infinity!"  
  
Cheers from the robots could be heard, as they dropped their buffers and cloths and headed for the front of the ship.  
  
"Gah!!! Get to your room!!" Robotnik bellowed, pointing to a room behind the computer.  
  
"Why should I????"  
  
Robotnik snapped his fingers, and E-110 grabbed Becky by the scruff and threw her into the room, welding the door behind him.  
  
"You can't keep me in here!!!!" Becky threw her arms against the door, shaking her hand in pain after, "Then again, maybe he can..."  
  
Becky looked around at the room. It sure looked comfy. In one corner was a double bed, in another was a wardrobe, and next to the wardrobe was a massive Hi-Fi. At the end of the bed was a desk with a TV on top with a Dreamcast and Gamecube on top of it. The window looked as long as a house. It looked out on the front of the ship, and all that was visible was the clouds in the distance, and a small red bi-plane skimming the top of the clouds.  
  
"..I've only just been...'born', and I'm beginning to hate life on this stupid ship already...hey...that fox in that plane is pretty cute...Who's that dude? A hedgehog? He's pretty cute, too.."  
  
She couldn't explain it, but for some reason, she felt as if she knew the two people in the plane.  
  
++++++  
  
Becky continued to watch the plane sail through the clouds into the night, until she couldn't take it anymore.  
  
"LEMME OUT!!! I'M SORRY FOR EARLIER, OKAY??!?!?  
  
Becky slumped onto the bed. She doubted if Robotnik had even heard her. She felt her stomach rumble, and decided to go to sleep before her hunger caused her pain.  
  
+++++++++  
  
She awoke with a start. She heard the sounded of fire cutting at metal, a sort of grinding and melting sound. Her door fell forward, and standing at the door was Robotnik and E-110.  
  
"Ready to apologize?"  
  
"Yea..I'm sorry. I won't take your microphone again...like I said, I'm really really really really sorry."  
  
Robotnik put a hand on the back of his neck, and smirked. "S'Okay. Now, for your first assignment. Report to the big computer."  
  
Upon arriving, Becky couldn't help but think of any better name for 'The Big Computer'.  
  
Robotnik was indeed there, typing information onto the computer. Becky managed to catch him typing 'S-O-N-I-C" .  
  
"For your first assignment, I want you to eliminate these subjects." Robotnik pointed to three figures. There was a blue hedgehog, a orange kitsune and a red echidna.  
  
"Find them and kill them."  
  
Becky recognised the first two figures as the people she saw on the bi- plane the last night.  
  
"Uh - I - Kill them? I, erm..."  
  
"Yes. Kill. K-I-L-L. Of course, you'll need some training. You are yet to discover your skills."  
  
"I - I have skills?"  
  
"Follow and see."  
  
Robotnik lead her to a very large room, with soft yet durable fabric covering the wall, and a punch bag in the middle, hanging down from the ceiling.  
  
"I want you to punch this bag."  
  
"Um...okay." Becky punched the bag. It swung into the ceiling, and was violently bounced back into her face.  
  
"OW!! By dose.."  
  
"Try again. This time, when it comes back, you keep hitting it. Throw in a few kicks aswell."  
  
Becky did so. She found that punching it could wear a person down in minutes, and kicking only made it worse.  
  
"Ok. Stop." Becky promptly stopped, only to be hit by the punch bag again.  
  
"Now, your skills. As I mixed the DNA of various creatures in the experiment that created you, you have the skills of those various animals. First - the speed of a hedgehog. Run to that wall and back. But before you do.."  
  
Robotnik took a pair of shoes out of the satchel he was wearing. They were black with white at the front, and some kind of jet mechanism was on the bottom.  
  
"...Why are there holes on the bottom?"  
  
"Don't diss the shoes. They....they belonged to someone special."  
  
E-110 stepped up to Robotnik, "Sir, are those Shadow's actual shoes? Woulnd't they have burned up while he was entering the atmosphere?"  
  
"They are his shoes.." Robotnik sighed, "Just before Shadow set out for his final mission, he gave these shoes to me...he had another pair aboard the ARK."  
  
Becky procceded to put them on. They were rather comfy.  
  
She got herself into a racing position, and got off to a good start. The shoes automatically released a small jet of fire, making her hover off the ground. She manouvered them like they were roller-blades. She managed to get to one end of the room to another, in a time of three seconds.  
  
"Good.very good..I know you didn't recognise it, but you have the strength of an echidna. Try punching this block of cement."  
  
The slab was about as big as Robotnik, and probably as hard as a mountain side.  
  
"....You want me to punch that?"  
  
"Do it. Or another welded night for you."  
  
Not wanting to spend the same boring 24 hours in her bedroom, she drew back her arm then thrust it forward -the rock instantly shattered due to the barbs that stuck out from her knuckles.  
  
"...Cool!"  
  
"That's not all. I also mixed your DNA with a phoenix."  
  
"...So I get to breathe fire?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Dang." Becky snapped her fingers.  
  
"But you do get wings....yet, I am not sure how you will operate them. As you can see they are not on your back, but they're there, if you know what I mean, so I guess you'll have to figure that one out. Now, I'm going to lock you in this room, and you have to punch this bag until it breaks."  
  
"WHAT?! This is cruelty to animals!!!! You can't do that!"  
  
"I will. And that's not all. This room will fill up with water if you go below 60 punches a minute."  
  
Robotnik exited the room, snapping his fingers at E-110. He came over and placed a large metal plate onto the door frame, welding it in place ensuring no escape.  
  
"What?! I don't know how to swim, and I can't hold my breath! You can't do this!"  
  
"Mwahahahahahaha...." Robotniks voice blasted through a speaker in the corner of the room, "Start punching! Now!"  
  
Becky punched. It only took about three minutes before her hands were red raw, and the barbs on her knuckles were starting to ache.  
  
"So far, so good! Keep going!"  
  
"Shut up!"  
  
She continued to punch for an hour. Her muscles ached, as did her hands, and the bag showed little signs of ripping any time soon.  
  
"Keep going.."  
  
"How.long..will it take..f-for this bag to break, dammit..."  
  
"Hmmmmm...about..a day?"  
  
Becky hugged the bag to stop her from falling, "So..you're gonna torture you're 'Greatest Experiment'? What if I don't survive? Whatcha gonna do then?"  
  
"You WILL survive. You MUST survive. And that's an order."  
  
"But-"  
  
"But nothing! Keep punching, you useless crossbreed....I was a fool to put all my most essential assignments in the hands of a girl..."  
  
Becky heard all of that, and something snapped. Who was Robotnik to judge someone's strength by their gender? She was probably more powerful than Robotnik could ever be.  
  
"That's it, asshat!" She screamed. She thrust her arms back one more time, then thrust it into the bag. The seam ripped, and stuffing fell onto the floor.  
  
"Ah! I knew that would work! Now. Report to the computer once more."  
  
"Um, hello?! I'm welded in this room?"  
  
"Hmm? Well, for someone with your strength it should be no problem breaking out."  
  
Becky nearly collapsed when she heard this. She had just had all the energy drained out of her, and now he expected her to escape from a welded room?  
  
"Oh. And by the Way. That timer is still on. Zero!!!"  
  
Two vents in each corner of the room burst, releasing water into the room. Becky screamed, something she didn't expect to do, and crouched into the nearest corner.  
  
"Punch the door, idiot!"  
  
She had no choice. She pulled her arm back one more time and thrust it into the door. The welding shattered, and the door feel, releasing the water into the hallway.  
  
"Ha! Good job! Now, come hither."  
  
There was no answer.  
  
"Um, sir? She's out cold." came E-110's voice. He held Becky in his robotic arms, looking at her with sympathy.  
  
"Gack! I guess the assignment will have to wait until tommorow. I did work her pretty hard...put her to bed."  
  
Robotnik watched as E-110 carried her into her room, out her to bed and quietly shut the door behind him.  
  
"..Goodnight, Shadow.." he said, confusing himself again.  
  
+++++++++++  
  
The next morning was the sunniest day Robotnik had seen for quite a while. It even made the mad scientist feel at peace, even while jotting down ways to conquer the world.  
  
"'Sup." came Becky's voice. Robotnik noticed that she had done something to her clothes, as they had now converted to a long skirt into flares, but decided not to go into it.  
  
"You're up, finally."  
  
"Hey! You worked my like a dog last night. Don't you think I deserve a lie- in?"  
  
"Yes, but not until 2 in the afternoon."  
  
Becky giggled nervously, "Uh, yea. So, any assignments I should know about?"  
  
Robotnik got up from his sun bed, leaving the paper on it, "Yea. I want you to finally start on that assignment I told you about last night. Remember what those three looked like? Kill 'em."  
  
Becky stopped giggling. She remembered the blue hedgehog, the orange kitsune and the red echidna, the same she had seen in the bi-plane.  
  
"Um..may I ask why?"  
  
Robotnik's face quickly turned from a fleshy colour to purple/red in a matter of seconds, "THOSE THREE ARE ALWAYS GETTING IN THE WAY OF MY MASTER PLANS! Destroy them, and we can take over the world!!! That's why!"  
  
Becky slowly backed away, "Uh...why's that? Why would you wanna take over the world?"  
  
"So I can make cool laws and stuff. And make people bow at my feet."  
  
"Geez, for someone with an IQ of 300, you sure get the weirdest ideas." Becky once again started to giggle, with her arms behind her back trying to give the impression of innocence.  
  
"Shut up. I don't just want to rid of them for my sake....if I were to rule, you would be right there with me. You know, like Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Except we're not married or anything."  
  
Becky turned her back on Robotnik. So....he really did care for her? If he were to rule, he would let her rule by his side? Like an equal?  
  
She didn't know what to make of all this. Something inside her told her to kill them, and get treated like a queen, another voice told her 'not to kill her friends'. Friends? She didn't even know them.  
  
Weird....she thought to herself.  
  
"Well?" came Robotnik's voice. She snapped back and saluted.  
  
"Um....yea." It could've been a good excuse to get to know these people, so after packing revisions, she took a parachute/sky boarding dive to the ground (about a 13000 foot drop.)  
  
She had never felt anything like it. She loved the wind rushing past her, and spread her arms out. As soon as she came within 15 feet of the ground, she took the parachute pack off her back and took a snow boarding trip down the mountain. She pulled off a few tricks before coming to a stop at the bottom of the mountain.  
  
"Doctor, I can't see them." she said into her walkie-talkie.  
  
"They're in a blue plane."  
  
"Well, THAT'S helpful. Any idea WHERE, exactly?"  
  
"Argh!" Becky held the 'phone away from her ear, "Try 100 feet behind you!"  
  
"Oh. Really?"  
  
"YES!!"  
  
Becky turned her head over her shoulder, and indeed a small blue plane was coming in her direction.  
  
"So, do you want me to attack them or something?"  
  
"No! Just take that tracking device from your pocket and throw it onto the plane!"  
  
Becky fumbled around in her pocket until she found a small tracking mechanism with a small red light on it. She aimed it at the plane as it flew overhead, and it landed on the bottom of the right wing. The blue hedgehog on the wing spotted this, and Becky quickly turned her throw into a wave, of which the hedgehog returned with a thumbs up.  
  
"Good! Report back!"  
  
"Oh. You mean that's it?"  
  
"Yes. Were you expecting something a little more difficult for your first mission?"  
  
"Yea, actually I was."  
  
+++++++  
  
After a short detour around the mountain, Becky eventually found herself at the IceCap docking station for the Egg Carrier. Taking the lift to the top floor, she found Robotnik at his big computer.  
  
"'Sup?"  
  
"Ah, good. You're back. I seem to recall you saying that you wanted a challenge, yes?"  
  
"Uh, yea." Becky got her hopes up. Perhaps now she would get a challenge?  
  
"Well, using that tracking device you placed on the plane, I want you to track Sonic and Tails-"  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Sonic is the hedgehog and Tails is the fox. Anyway, I want you to find them and destroy them with this.."  
  
Robotnik took a gun from his pocket. It was a small laser pistol, with enough power to work its way through steel.  
  
"Uh, I...um, right. Okay. I'll get right on it."  
  
"Good. And don't disappoint me. Oh, and..."  
  
Becky felt Robotnik slip something into her pocket. She reached to examine it, but Robotnik held her hand back, "No. Only take it out when you need to. You know, an emergency."  
  
++++++++++  
  
Becky scanned the alley she was in. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. She held a small radar in her hands, on which a small red dot beeped every few seconds, showing the position of her 'targets'.  
  
She walked north slightly. The signal started to beep a little more regulary. She continued to walk north, passing a few homeless people on the way and giving them some sandwiches.  
  
Eventually the beep started to beep about 3 times every second.  
  
"So..they're around here, huh?"  
  
Becky turned around. She spotted a garage, on the front of it was a picture of two fox-like tails. The beeping from the radar was one single, continuous beep.  
  
"So, they're in here..password?" She poked around with the control panel next to the garage, "Um....I dunno...lets try...'Tornado'." She input the word, and a slow creaking sound made its way from the opening garage door.  
  
++++++++  
  
Becky cautiously stepped inside. All around her was parts of metal, nuts and bolts, all strewed around in odd positions.  
  
"Okay then. Egg dude! Now what??" she said into her walkie-talkie.  
  
"Find them and kill them with that weapon I gave you! UH!" Eggman replied, emphasizing the 'UH' in an you're-such-an-idiot sort of way.  
  
"Alright.." she pulled out the small pistol and pulled back the trigger, and reloaded her gun after.  
  
"Okay...here I go, okay...I'm cool...yea."  
  
Becky drew herself to the corner of the door. Pressing her ear against the wall, she could pick up faint sounds of two people talking in the room next to her.  
  
"That's them. Okay.." Becky placed herself a good ten feet from the door, before pressing the trigger down.  
  
The laser bullet broke through the door like it was a wet paper bag. The door shattered, and a bewildered kitsune and hedgehog stood on the other side.  
  
"Hey! Weren't you on the mountain a few hours ago???"  
  
She continued to hold the gun, with her finger on the trigger, and began to sweat.  
  
"What the hell am I doing....?" Becky asked herself.  
  
"Becky! Now, shoot them!" came Eggman's voice through the walkie-talkie.  
  
"Aha!" the kitsune said, pointing an accusing finger at Becky, who was now putting the gun into its holder, "So you were sent to kill us!"  
  
"No! Well, yea, but, I feel like..."  
  
"Forget it! If you go now I might think about not hurting you!" said the blue hedgehog, also pointing his finger at the young girl, "Go on!"  
  
"REBECCA! What on EARTH do you think you're doing?!?! Shoot them!!" cam Eggman's voice, yet it didn't come from a walkie-talkie. At the garage door, there was Robotnik, in his small robotic walker. He sat in the cockpit, his face turning as red as a plum.  
  
"No!" she screamed back.  
  
"Do it now! You said you were my loyal servant, I treated you like a daughter, and what do you do on your first mission? You bail!"  
  
"Uh-" the hedgehog tried to break in.  
  
"Would a loyal servant do this?"  
  
The Wolchidnog took a running leap at Robotnik's walker, jumped into his cockpit and punched him around the face, before pressing the "Self- Destruct" button in his cockpit.  
  
"Move it, fox boy!" Becky screamed at the small fox, pushing him and the blue hedgehog outside, and shutting herself and Eggman inside.  
  
+++Outside Tail's Garage+++  
  
"Sonic! What're we gonna do???" Tails said urgently, tugging at Sonic's arm.  
  
"She's in there with Eggman! Is that thing gonna explode, or something?? She looked so urgent to get us outta there..."  
  
"She'd better not touch anything in there!"  
  
Almost as if on cue, Tail's garage door blew off, followed by a stream of fire and smoke, with huge chunks of metal flying in every direction.  
  
"Geddown!" said a back figure, flying towards them at top speed...  
  
++++++  
  
Becky landed down on the ground, holding down the hedgehog and kitsune by the necks. When she was sure the explosion was over, she let them up, as they were now coughing and spluttering from lack of clean air.  
  
"OH MY GOD! LOOK AT MY GARAGE!" screamed the kitsune.  
  
This made Becky unsure of whether she wanted to turn around or not. She merely sat on the driveway, supporting herself with her arms behind her.  
  
"Turn around, girl..look what you did to my garage...years of research.." said the kitsune, sobbing.  
  
"C'mon, Tails. It's better than Eggman getting all your research.." he turned towards Becky, "But there's still the issue of this girl..." Sonic scanned her up and down. She was by far the weirdest thing he had ever seen. She seemed to be a cross breed of an echidna, a wolf and a hedgehog.  
  
"What were you doing? Stalking us?" he then noticed the gun in its hoister, "Or trying to kill us?"  
  
"That was what I was sent out to do...but..I feel like I know you guys."  
  
The hedgehog snorted, "Know us? The only time we've seen you was when we were flying over the mountain, and you waved at us. But now that you've tried to kill us-"  
  
"Look, I'm sorry, okay?! Ever heard of the word 'Corrupted'? Try looking it up sometime!! And I feel like I know you because, aside from the mountain, I feel like I've seen you before!"  
  
The blue hedgehog went up to her, and knelt down on his knees, "Do you who I am? I'm not one to gloat, but most people do. If you know me, say my name."  
  
Becky looked up into his eyes. They were a dark emerald colour, in contrast to her deep brown ones.  
  
"I...."  
  
The hedgehog sighed, "So, you don't know."  
  
"No, I....it'll come to me in a sec..."  
  
"That time on the mountain, I kinda thought it was weird, you being out there."  
  
Her eyes widened, "You calling me weird?"  
  
The hedgehog cocked his head, "Well..erm, yes, I..."  
  
"You pretended that thumbs up, then? You didn't mean it? You thought I was weird, yet decided to increase your popularity more by being nice to people, huh?"  
  
She stood up, wiping something from her eyes, "The only people who ever liked me were, at last count, zero. Eggman tricked me, he thought I was only good for nothing. Occupying space, he once said. Well, I've had it. I take orders from nobody now."  
  
"No, I-"  
  
"Shut up! I don't wanna hear it!" She started to flee the scene, as sirens of fire engines could be heard in the background.  
  
"No! Don't go!" Tails piped up.  
  
"Faker!" she screamed, as she disappeared around the corner.  
  
++++  
  
Sonic stood, confused. Faker? Isn't that what Shadow used to call him?  
  
"Tails...did she just call me 'Faker'?"  
  
"More importantly, did you see her shoes?"  
  
Sonic turned around to face Tails, "What about them?"  
  
"They...they were identical to the jet shoes that Shadow had."  
  
++++  
  
Becky was quietly sobbing to herself under the shelter of a large oak. She didn't even know where she was, somewhere off the outskirts of Station Square she figured.  
  
"....Crap." she said to herself. Her voice came out croaky, as she hadn't spoken for at least 2 hours, and the cold rain pouring down onto her didn't help either. She looked at the small morsels of food she had in her hand. A few crisps, and half of a chocolate biscuit. She ate the remains of the biscuit, before her tears mingled in with the rain that continued to pour onto her face.  
  
++++  
  
"Tails, any idea where she might be?"  
  
"No...unless I track the heat coming from her jet shoes..but when I do find her, ooh, I swear, I'll-"  
  
"Save it, Tails."  
  
"Yessir."  
  
They had boarded the Egg Carrier via the Mystic Ruins. Sonic usually loved to sneak aboard and destroy all of Robotnik's machinery, but this time, he wanted something else. He wanted to know what the girl was.  
  
"Sonic, I think I found something here.." Tails was at Robotnik's big computer, typing away at the speed that Sonic ran.  
  
"Let's see...Project..'Ashes'? 'Project Ashes'? That sounds interesting.."  
  
Sonic was starting to get a little impatient, "Tails, could we move it?"  
  
"In a minute Sonic, I just wanna - "  
  
There was a long, awkward silence.  
  
"..What is it, Tails?"  
  
"Sonic...that girl...she's made up from the DNA of yourself, a phoenix, a wolf, an echidna..but it says here....Sonic.."  
  
"What?!"  
  
"That girl was made from Shadow's ashes. Sonic, that girl is Shadow."  
  
++++  
  
Becky woke up and wished she hadn't. She was having a rather pleasant dream involving her and a big mansion, then a strange black hedgehog came along, saying 'They're coming to-' before she woke up.  
  
"I wish I could've heard what that guy said.....dreams like that usually mean something. Well...guess I'd better get going."  
  
Where to, she didn't know.  
  
++++  
  
"Sonic! Hop in!"  
  
Tails beckoned to Sonic to climb into his plane, the only thing that had survived the explosion. Sonic stood on the wing, but Tails shook his head, "Nuh-uh. There's storm force winds blowing, its best just for you to get in the back seat."  
  
"Aaawww....." Sonic said, disappointed at the fact that he couldn't show off his wing-walking skills.  
  
Tails pushed a bright red button in the cockpit, and the engine flared up behind them.  
  
"From the heat readings I'm getting, she's in the Forou Park, somewhere in the corner.....wait, its moving! She's going in the direction of the military base!"  
  
Sonic scratched his head, "Well, won't the military at least take her in?"  
  
"Sonic! Think about it! A cross bred girl like that in a military base! They'll do all those nasty probing tests on her!"  
  
"...Seriously? And since when did you start caring about her well being?"  
  
Tails went red, "Huh, I never started. I'm just saying. C'mon, lets move it!""  
  
++++  
  
"Huh...a military base...maybe they'll take me in."  
  
Becky had only started to approach the gate when an ear-piercing alarm sounded.  
  
"What the hell?!!"  
  
"Troops, an unknown specimen has entered the base. All battle procedures initiated. Capture the specimen."  
  
"Specimen!?! I'm an Wolchidnog!! You can't-"  
  
Her sentence was cut short as two soldiers approached her, one handcuffed her while the other plunged a syringe into her arm.  
  
"Accckkk...you can do shish to meeee..."  
  
"We got it! Lets take it into the infirmary..."  
  
"Yea..think we'll get promotions?" said two voices, then darkness fell.  
  
++++  
  
"G.U.N? Isn't this the military that's after my ass, Tails?" Sonic said, reading the sign in front of the base.  
  
"Yea, so we're gonna have to be careful. Set off the alarm and you're screwed."  
  
Sonic scanned the area. They were behind the metal fence and barbed wire that sealed off the base from the outside world, and the hanger doors were open, with a few planes flying out of them, probably for test flights.  
  
It was then that he spotted two guards, dragging something along by the tail.  
  
"Tails! There!"  
  
++++  
  
"Wow...this is really the weirdest thing I've ever seen..."  
  
Becky thought. Weirdest....thing? Probably something Sonic would say.  
  
"Look, Sonic, I'm not weird. You may laugh at me because....huh?" Becky noticed the human like features staring back at her.  
  
"Oh, sorry. Thought you were someone else. HEY! You syringed me! Why, I oughtta.."  
  
"Calm down. We just need to run a few tests. And by the way, what were you about to say to me?"  
  
"Huh? Oh, I was about to say 'You laugh at me because I'm different, but I can laugh at you because you're all the same'."  
  
Becky caught a smile find its way upon the mans face, "Yes, of course. That's a nice motto. But now, I need to take some tests."  
  
Becky caught the flash of a needle, before he plunged it into her arm and she fell into the dark void she had only just come out of.  
  
++++  
  
"There she is...they just plunged a syringe into her arm again."  
  
"What do we do, Sonic?"  
  
"As always. We rush in, take 'em out, get her out, leave."  
  
"But Sonic, look at the security they have around here. See those red lines on the floor? They're motion sensitive lasers.."  
  
"No probs, Tails! Just watch this!"  
  
The sound of skidding rang through out the corridors, followed by the crash of some metal.  
  
"Ooops...."  
  
++++  
  
Becky woke again to the sound of sirens.  
  
"Huh? What's-" It was then that she spotted Sonic and Tails in the corridor, with Sonic in a awkward position under a pile of metal.  
  
"What do you two want?" she said, putting her hands on her hips.  
  
"Just to bust you outta this place! Move it!"" Tails said, motioning her to follow.  
  
"No can do, shorty. All so suddenly you want me to follow?"  
  
"Yea!" Tails took her wrist and started to tug on it, but only reached as far as the floor. He never expected her to be so strong.  
  
"Why? You said I was weird."  
  
Sonic came up to her, taking her shoulders, shaking them a little, "Listen to me. Do you remember anything about the ARK?"  
  
"The Arc? Isn't that what Noah loaded all his little animals in?"  
  
"NO! The A-R-K! Space Colony ARK?"  
  
Becky turned her back towards Sonic, rubbing her temples, "....ARK?"  
  
"Yea! The Space Colony ARK!" Tails piped in.  
  
"....ARK..."  
  
Sudden images made their way through her mind. She found herself through the eyes of someone else. The only person in view was a pretty young woman with blonde hair, and eyes as blue as the sky. For some reason, she felt the urge to speak, "Maria!"  
  
Her voice came out a little deeper than it usually was..  
  
"Shadow...please give them...a chance to be happy. Do it for me...."  
  
"MARIA!"  
  
The last thing she saw was the Earth seemingly rise before her, or him as it were. She felt an icy feeling envelop her, before she snapped back to reality.  
  
"ARK...." she looked up into Sonic's eyes, "Maria? The Biolizard!"  
  
"Yea..do you remember anyone called 'Shadow'?" Sonic grip had weakened, and a smile was creeping upon his maw.  
  
"Shadow...someone was asking me to give..someone, I don't know who, a chance to be happy, but they called me Shadow..."  
  
Tails looked dumbstruck, "So. You do have Shadow's memories..."  
  
"Hey. I don't think you're weird, if it makes you feel better." Sonic said, a slight red tint coming upon his cheeks. Becky felt herself blush aswell.  
  
"You are completely surrounded!" came a masculine voice from the corner. All three spun around, only to find themselves trapped within thirty guards, all armed with guns.  
  
"...um?" Tails said, taking cautious steps backwards.  
  
"Men! Cautiously step in, towards the three!" called one of the men. All thirty started to advance in towards the three, with Tails nearly in hysterics.  
  
"What do we do n-n-now?" said a very shaky Tails.  
  
"I...I guess this is it. Probing for us." Sonic said calmly.  
  
"Iiiiiieeeee!" Tails screamed, clinging on to Sonic's legs.  
  
"An emergency.." Becky muttered under her breath.  
  
"Hmm? Sounds like you got a plan."  
  
Becky reached into her pocket. She felt around it. It felt like glass, a smooth object with pointed tips. She slowly took a grip on whatever it was, and pulled it out of her pocket.  
  
A Chaos Emerald.  
  
More images started to cross her mind. She found herself almost engulfed by fire, yet it didn't hurt her. A golden hedgehog was next to her, and they were both soaring, at light speed, towards a falling object...almost like an asteroid.  
  
She looked at her hands. She found herself wearing gold and red cuffed gloves. It was then that she started to hear the same voice as before.  
  
"Give them a chance...to be happy.."  
  
"Maria..."  
  
She turned around to face the hedgehog flying next to her, and to her surprise, she found out that it was Sonic.  
  
"Now, Shadow!!!"  
  
Almost as if on cue, they both screamed, "CHAOS CONTROL!!!"  
  
She suddenly found herself plummeting towards the Earth itself.  
  
"Maria....this is what you wanted, right? This is my promise I made to you."  
  
She felt his or herself hit something hard, and then blackness, before she snapped back into the reality she was now in.  
  
"Tails, grab my hand. You too, Sonic."  
  
Sonic and Tails blushed, "Eh?"  
  
"Just do it!"  
  
Sonic raised a shaky hand towards Becky's hand, while Tails clutched her wrist.  
  
"Okay..HEY! YOU! GUARD! COME AND GET MEEE!"  
  
Sonic went almost as red as an apple, "WHAT!??!"  
  
"You heard her! ATTACK!"  
  
All the guards ran in toward the centre of the room, the pointed ends of their guns aimed at the three. Becky raised her hand, holding the Chaos Emerald, towards the ceiling.  
  
"I hope this works...."  
  
"Don't worry," said a dark, masculine voice inside of her, "It will."  
  
"Hmmm...Thanks, Shadow." She said aloud, much to the amazement of Sonic.  
  
"Anytime." said the voice again, before disappearing.  
  
"CHAOS CONTROL!!!!"  
  
Sonic shielded his eyes, as did Tails. They felt like their bodies were disintegrating into nothing, then being rebuilt before themselves.  
  
They felt the wind rush by their faces as if it were going at mach 1, before finding themselves falling through the air, feeling the cold stab of snow hitting their faces like daggers. They took a face first dive into the snowy mountain on which they had transported to, rolling down the mountain likes stones. Sonic felt his arms break beneath him, only managing to catch a glimpse of where Tails and Becky were rolling to.  
  
After what seemed like eternity rolling through the freezing snow, they finally came to a stop. Sonic couldn't even feel the pain in his arm because of the cold. He slowly got up, shaking in fear as well as the cold, scanning the snow for any signs of life.  
  
"Ugh..nyah..SONIC!" came a voice from behind him. Sonic spun around to face Tails, who seemed unharmed. As soon as Tails spotted the blue outline of Sonic, he rushed over to see him, gasping when he saw the snow beneath Sonic stained with blood.  
  
"Sonic.." Tail started to cry, falling to his knees. Sonic grinned and knelt down besides him.  
  
"Now, now, don't cry. Your tears might freeze." Sonic used his thumb to wipe the tears from Tails' cheeks, "Besides, it doesn't hurt that much. Where's Becky?"  
  
Tails pointed to where he had come from. Becky was knelt down in the snow, hugging her knees to her chest. Her face was pale, but Sonic was sure that it was from using the Chaos Control, and not from the freezing climate.  
  
"Becky..you okay?" Sonic said, putting a hand on her left shoulder. There was no response. She only turned around, and touched the spot where Sonic was bleeding. It caused Sonic great pain, but he decided not to let it show.  
  
"Get ready to catch me." was all she said.  
  
She placed her hand over the wound, and shut her eyes. Sonic's arm felt warm, and almost in an instant the pain was gone. A weak smile came upon Becky's face, before she lost all senses around her, and fell into the void of darkness.  
  
++++  
  
"So, I see you've figured out how to use the Chaos Control?....."  
  
"Guess so, Shadow. I'm surprised it didn't totally drain you."  
  
"You'd think that, wouldn't you? But when I used it for transporting the ARK away from the Earth's atmosphere, it did drain me."  
  
"....Seriously? What happened?"  
  
"I don't know. I remember asking Maria if this is what she wanted....then hitting something as hard as concrete, and then looking at the world through your eyes.  
  
"So I guess......you could say that we are one. You have my memories."  
  
"What should I say to Sonic?"  
  
"He already has a clue about what's going on. Just tell him I said 'Thanks' for the memories."  
  
++++  
  
"Sonic, will she be okay?...."  
  
"Of course she will, Tails. She just needs a bit of rest."  
  
The comforting voices of the hedgehog and kitsune swept through her ears. Slowly opening her eyes she caught the blurry outline of two figures.  
  
"Hey, guys."  
  
It was only then that she took notice of where she was. She wasn't in anywhere she recognised, yet it looked like the infirmary aboard the Egg Carrier.  
  
"Where am I, Sonic? And how did I get here?"  
  
Sonic chuckled, "I would've thought that you would recognise a hospital when you see one. Tails went to find someone to help us and came back with an old friend."  
  
"I'm not that old, Sonic. Try only three years older than you!" came a deep, masculine voice. Becky turned to see the source of the voice, finding it to be a strong male red echidna. His eyes were that of a deep purple, and he had the sign of the ancient echidna tribe, a white crescent moon on its side, on his chest.  
  
"So, you're awake, huh?"  
  
"Y-yea, I guess so..." Becky felt herself turn red.  
  
"I'm Knuckles. You lot sure surprised me when Tails came along!"  
  
He held out a hand for Becky to shake. She took it with trembling hands, going more red than before. She was surprised when Knuckles put his other gloved hand over hers to stop it trembling.  
  
"Hey, chill, okay?...." he said softly.  
  
"O-okay. Oh, and Sonic?"  
  
Sonic turned to face her, "Yes?"  
  
She motioned for him to come closer. She whispered something into his ear...  
  
"Shadow says Thanks for the Memories."  
  
Sonic seemed to wipe something from the corner of his eyes.  
  
"Tell him that it's no problem."  
  
Beckeh: That's it! It took me a week to write, including getting ideas, but its done! Fwaha! R+R greatly appreciated ^__^ 


End file.
